Vae Victis: An Alternate History
by Draconis Darkess
Summary: Woe to the Vanquished. These were the words spoken when Rome was sacked centuries ago. However the Vanquished returned with a vengeance and brought down the mighty Tribes. What if they had failed to do so? What if Rome had never became the center of the known world, as they said. What if Rome had died in his cradle? Rated M for war, violence, and intrigue.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue.**_

To understand where we are today we look back on what we call history. When we look at history we as people in the present generally do tend to only look in the linear disposition that is time, and as time marches ever forward we fail to see the multitude of possibilities that can spawn from one important event.

So it stands to reason that these Alternate histories range anywhere from a simple divergence leading to a similar modern day as we have now, to an outright shift in the way things happened. So what if one day someone decided to throw a monkey wrench into that giant machine that keeps moving forward called time and hits it right at one of the most important moments in European history?

The infancy of the Roman State. What if Rome in its earliest stages had not beaten back the Etruscans and the Samnites? Though more specifically what if Rome had failed to hold them back in a second wave?

Would Magna Graecia still be Megálē Hellás*? Would the Gallic tribes of Europe have prospered and grown further into their own great empires? Would the Greek world continue to thrive and stand atop the world as the center of civilization? Would Germania have come out of his shell to become a brutal unstoppable force… okay maybe not.

Still it stands to wonder, a world without Rome, where Latin was a term to refer to a group of peoples, not a unified people. A diversity of cultures rather than a singular.

So now we enter into this realm of infinite possibility, and this narrative shall be done as unbiased to my opinion and as close as I can keep it to plausible out comes…

But we are talking hetalia so… Shenanigans will insue if I can find a good reason for them.

Also I'd like to keep at the end of each chapter a summary of the events that happened in our own history to allow a comparision.

Each chapter will cover anywhere from a specific and significant event in the time line, to a rough summarization of the following decade, up to a possibly significant event.

And lastly if you have taken the time to read through this all, thank you for your time, I'm open to any criticism that you may offer and lastly, this will not be dulled down for the sake of the sensitive, people will die, and wars will happen, but also friends will be made, and lost, it's a time when borders changed more than people were born.

* * *

*Manga Graecia and Megálē Hellás both stand for Greater Greece, and basically represent southern Italy up to around Capua and down to island of Sicily.


	2. The Prophecy

Author's Note: I have this obsession with alternate history, I wouldn't call it healthy by any means, but it creates for some interesting scenarios that sometimes you just want to expand upon. History can be written a thousand different ways, but the outcome is always the same, just a different perspective, that's one of the things that makes history appealing to me. Yet it's that same reason that I seek out Alternate Histories, because it's literally changing the entire perspective, and creating a new outcome, and there's something wonderous about that to me.

So I think I've babbled enough about my adoration of Alternate History, you came here for a Fanfiction, and I'm more than willing to deliver, this time with less spelling errors, more spacing, and generally better writing.

Chapter 1: The Prophecy

Today we fall back to a time immemorial, the infancy of Roma, before it even owned all of Italy. The Samnites had been doing battle with the Romans on and off for the past five decades now and their conflict had come to a head as the Samnites were on the cusp of defeat by Roman hands. It was a brutal conflict early on, but Roma and her Legions were strong and to the Latin tribes innumerable.

However, it seemed fate would decree that Roma would fall in this war, for the Roman priests had divined a horrendous omen, one that struck ill will into the hearts of the warriors of Rome. The omen stated that her armies would be victorious over and over again, until the tenth victory in which afterwards when the army finally returned home, they would find their lands in ruin and desolation.

Soon after this ill begotten prophecy Roma found itself in a state of panic, the word spread like a fire, and the Legion had already won nine victories, and was on its way to conquering the last city of the Samnites. In this dire time of fear and panic, the senate had decided to elect a pro-consul to the rank of Dictator of the Republic as was apt during times of great distress.

When the Dictator took office he called up a meeting between the Latin tribes and Rome. A meeting unexpected by the tribes or at the very least unexpected by the Samnites as they believed the Romans would have surely sought their destruction. Though being made bitter by the war, and their situation they refused, and their Etruscan allies refused as well.

So, failing at diplomacy on an open level the Dictator set forth Rome himself to talk with the tribes, see if it was possible to convince them to make peace, for Roma was defenseless as the army feared a tenth victory, and even now returning to the city seemed dangerous to them.

Rome set forth traveling to the last city of the Samnites, his normal bravado and cheerfulness were gone, for few people in his lands were content. He continued on however with the hope that once he had reached the city he could talk sense into the Samnites, and garner some sort of peace out of this so that he could return his Legions home.

Upon reaching this city he was somewhat surprised by the level of readiness the Samnites had in order to hold off the Roman army, It seemed as if their entire military was held up in this one town, though he thought that wasn't the case, in his eyes barbarians would never commit to a full out defensive struggle. He entered the city unseen as he knew that if he were found it was likely that he would be caught. Powerful as he was, he could not fight an entire army by himself.

Rome made his way to the town center head lowered wearing a cloak keeping an eye out for the leader of the Samnites, or even the Samnites' personification, if such a grouping of tribes even had one. This happened to be the case as though the Samnites were unified against Rome, there was not enough unity amongst them to claim personification in those times. Such was true for the majority of tribes and states in Italy, excluding Taranto, the Greek colony, and Sicily, though these are of little importance at this moment.

Being the confederation of tribes that it was there was not just one leader, there were many of them, however the most prominent of them at this time, was Gellius Egnatius, who had inspired and roused the Samnite people to stand against Rome, even gaining the respect and aid of the Etruscans, the Umbrians, and the Gauls to the north. If he had not come to power, it would be said that the Samnites would have been destroyed so much earlier.

Rome made his way to Gellius Egnatius, however Egnatius had already mounted a horse and began riding out to meet an army that was to engage the frozen Roman legion that was stationed at Sentinum. Rome was distraught and didn't know what to do, so unable to catch Egnatius he rushed back to his own horse to follow him in hopes of preventing the battle. However as he rode a sense of dread went down his entire body, as he saw the army of Egnatius, a huge coalition of tribes, an army unlike any Rome had ever faced, Umbrians, Etruscans, Samnites, and Gaelic men together marching forth to fight a common enemy. They would never let him even close to near.

So Rome instead headed out to meet the army and inform them of this coalition, and ride he did beating the enemy army by a good half hour. Upon approaching the Roman army he saw them set up in a camp. Many of the men were fearful of the prophecy, and others were restless at the complete and utter lock up of the government and military by some insane prediction. However as Rome approached closer many of them gathered at attention, and he was pointed in the direction of the imperator. Publius Decius Mus was leading this army and it was co-lead by Fabius Maximus Rullianus(1), both of which were discussing how to approach the situation at hand, however they ceased when Rome arrived.

Standing up both of them saluting, "Ave." and Rome saluted back, "Ave." he dismounted his horse, and looked at them with a grim face, "There marches an army of barbarians allied with the Samnites at least double the one here… It's a grave sight indeed." He sighed, "We have to hold it here though, because if it gets past, there will be no stopping this counter attack, I can feel it." The two generals looked at each other, contemplating heavily on this before one of them spoke up, "But the prophec-" Rome cut him off there, "Either way that prophecy will be fulfilled if they win or lose, if they win they'll march on Roma and burn it down. If they lose, then if we don't return the legion to Roma, we can delay it." Rome sighed, they were caught in between a rock and a hard place.

Publius after a moment of though nodded, "It is best we stand and die in glory than let our city be burned by some barbaric scum." Rullianus nodded in agreement, "Then fight we shall." With that the two generals mustered the men together into formation and prepared to meet the Samnite army.

The Samnite forces crested out of the forests and aligned themselves to the Romans, taunting them, and insulting them calling them cowards. From here there is not much known about the battle of Sentinum aside that it was a Roman victory. However according to legend, it is said that a wolf startled by the enemy army ran towards the Roman ranks, and the wolf being a sacred creature to Rome was allowed to pass, the army parting its ranks for it, while on the Samnite side a deer went towards them, however the deer was shot and killed by a Gaelic man for sport, this was an ill omen for the Samnites.

What else is known is that the fighting was so close that in order to inspire his men, Publius Decius Mus commited the Act of Devotio, where he threw himself upon his spear as a sacrifice to Mars. This inspired the Roman men to fight harder than ever before, and eventually they defeated the Samnite army. Bringing the prophecy to its aforementioned tenth victory.

However now the Romans though victorious were trapped, trapped by their fear of the future, that if they were to return home that everything they knew would be destroyed. However little did they know that their inaction would be their fall. As the Gauls and Etruscans had formed a second army to the north, not devoting the entirety of their forces to the Samnite coalition force. Now that army marched on an undefended Roma.

The very next week Roma was in flames, and the city was in ruins. The citizens were slaughtered, the wealth was pillaged, and army, was to late. For when it returned to Roma upon hearing of an enemy army assaulting it, Roma was as the prophecy said, in ruin and desolation.

*1. I decided to use the historical commanders, and have the historical outcome of this battle because I felt it would give a good idea as to when this was. Not to mention I feel that if strategically the Samnites had worked together with their allies, they could have easily flanked Rome, though I will grant I do purposefully leave out the fact that the Romans likely had more than one legion, and likely at least one legion at home defending it, but some leeway has to be taken here and there.

Please Review, I would like any and all criticism.


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